Blog Posts in November, 2009

Following its recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles because the floor mat on the driver side could trap the accelerator pedal and cause it to jam, Toyota has announced that it will remedy the auto defect by replacing the gas pedal with a modified pedal while it develops a permanent replacement pedal for the vehicles. Toyota says it will shorten the gas pedal by approximately 20 ...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. have announced the recall of 2.1 million drop-side cribs following 110 reports of the drop-sides detaching from the crib. 1,213,000 crib units were distributed in the US. The remaining units that were recalled are in Canada. 147,000 of the cribs come with a Fisher-Price logo. A detached drop-side can create a gap ...

As a follow-up to my September 4, 2009 blog entitled, “Toyota Rollover Lawsuits: Automaker’s Former Attorney Accuses Auto Manufacturer of Concealing Evidence in Over 300 Auto Products Liability Cases,” U.S. District Judge George H. King, the judge presently assigned to the case, refused to grant Toyota’s request to seal the lawsuit in the face of Toyota allegaions that Toyota will suffer “further ...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have established an electronic system called E-Verify (formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) to assist employers further in verifying the employment eligibility of all newly-hired employees. As most businesses with federal contracts know, effective September 8, 2009, compliance ...

Nearly five years after Atwilda Brown died from severe injuries that she sustained when her chenille bathrobe caught fire, the elderly woman’s family is suing Blair LLC for her wrongful death. They are seeking $30 million. The 80-year-old was making tea on February 12, 2005 when the tragic accident caused by the defective clothing happened. She is one of nine people who have died because a Blair ...

More needs to be done to prove child safety when it comes to seat belts—especially as not all US states require that kids ages 4-8 use booster seats. Unfortunately most seat belts are unable to properly fit over the bodies of many children to ensure maximum protection, which can result in catastrophic seat belt-related injuries, known as seat belt syndrome, during a car accident. Just last year, ...

Our engagement in wars on two fronts and the daily reminders of the politics of such wars sometimes blurs the stark fact that it is people who fight wars, not politicians. We often fail to remember the many sacrifices being made by the members of our armed forces and of the hardships and mental anguish suffered by their families. The brave and loyal defenders of our liberty freely and unselfishly ...

The Consumer Product and Safety Commission and Maclaren USA are warning consumers to immediately stop using their Maclaren Strollers. Some 1 million strollers were recalled yesterday following reports that 12 children sustained fingertip amputation injuries. The injuries occurred when the kids put their fingers in the hinge mechanism of the stroller while it was being secured into place or opened ...

One of the advantages of operating a business as a corporation in Denver is that, with some exceptions, shareholders (owners), officers and directors normally do not have personal liability for corporate debts. Under certain circumstances, however, there may be personal liability, such as for certain unpaid taxes and when equitable principles cause the court to “pierce the corporate veil,” where ...

Kids and Cars is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require that all motor vehicle manufacturers make sure that the power windows on their vehicles come with an auto-reverse feature that automatically would stop a window from rolling up if there was an object or person in the way. The consumer group’s new surveys report some 13.6 million power window injuries over an ...

In an opinion dated October 29, 2009, the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the principle that a creditor of a corporation can “pierce the corporate veil” (ask the court to look behind a corporate entity and take action as though no entity separate from the members itself existed). A unique part of the decision holds that it is not just a shareholder, officer or director against whom the ...